Andrei Joins Kronos Research as a Software Engineer

From livestream programmer to low-latency infra builder, Andrei’s journey to joining a top HFT league in Web3

Andrei, a Romanian programmer and entrepreneur in various industries for decades, has recently joined Kronos Research as a Staff Software Engineer. We are sharing his story about his journey to the company and life working in Taiwan. Andrei shares why he thinks Kronos is a unique place for his talent to unfold and how to make an impact differently. Here is the featured interview:

Could you introduce yourself?
I started to work at 21 as a programmer in C, not C++. At first, I was in the industry making printers for cash registers, scanners, and barcode readers. After that, I joined a company that was doing banking software. For the next two years, C# and .NET were the things used. Then, I started a small business in the live-streaming industry, knowing that the technical side is essential as the business aspect. I also founded EvoStrem, then later joined Ubiquiti. Presently, I am with Kronos. Low-latency, high-performance, and UNIX network programming are the critical knowledge areas needed for successful products in the audio/video streaming industry. Joining Kronos allowed me to keep and further improve 95% of that knowledge base since the only thing different is the data exchanged: moving from audio/video frames to high-frequency trading messages. The warm-up period was concise.

Could you tell us more about your previous work experience?
I left the previous company because I had finished designing and implementing the product’s core features. I felt my skills were underused, and the product shifted from development and research mode to maintenance and UX improvements mode.

Kronos is a young company. Some people see young companies as an advantage, while others see it as a risk. I saw Kronos as my next career chapter because I can make technical/design decisions that are impactful in the long run. Such decisions can not be easily made on mature products, and that’s why I turned down offers from Netflix, FB, Google, and so on. Here at Kronos, I can do what I know and love best: apply my knowledge and experience immediately.

How would you describe working life in Kronos?
The best thing about working here at Kronos is the company’s culture which encourages learning and self-development. Having competent and happy employees is ideal for any company. That being said, I have discovered that people here at Kronos are open to learning new things and eager to share their own knowledge. There are very few companies where the employees feel safe when acknowledging they do not know a particular item. When that happens, here at Kronos, the policy is to help that employee get up to speed with the missing knowledge. In the end, the company builds up a large pool of professionals, eventually translating into performance numbers and revenues. In other words, it is refreshing to be listened to and to listen.

How do you find the culture and values here?
Nobody knows everything that there is to know about such a complex area like HFT(High Frequency Trading). Teaming is paramount for this kind of wide-area project. HFT requires high-performance coding, low-latency transport, in-depth knowledge of many protocols, the very math behind making those buy/sell decisions, and many other technical items. Teaming up professionals from each of those areas is the solution that Kronos has for executing the project. As I said previously, having professionals in the pool of talent is mandatory. Kronos’s value is the pool of talents and the care invested in it.

How do you like the city of Taipei?
The weather is very nice. Everything in and around the city is very well-maintained and clean. Just as a small observation: there are not too many trash cans around the city, yet there is no litter anywhere to be seen. Everyone is aware of the surroundings and contributes to the city’s overall cleanliness.

People are considerate, friendly, and always polite. Even when they have something negative to say, they say that in a very nice and non-conflictual way.

What’s your current plan for your personal life?
Travel and code are the things that I like the most. My family supports me in doing that. So I plan to travel more and code more :)